Richard R.K. Richards

Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering
College of Engineering
Established in 1968 to recognize superior technical or professional accomplishments in research, development, administration, education, and other engineering activities; the citation recognizes alumni/alumnae eminently known for their professional competence and creativity

Richard “R.K.” Richards

BS Electrical Engineering ’43
Ames, Iowa

Richard K. Richards followed a unique career path—Iowa State, WWII veteran, a PhD from MIT, IBM, author, farmer—and went virtually unnoticed by the Iowa State community for more than 50 years, yet he has had an indelible effect on society through his work as an engineer and author.

“The ancestry of all electronic digital systems appears to be traceable to…the Atanasoff-Berry Computer,” according to the 1966 book Electronic Digital Systems by Richards, a pioneer who wrote seminal textbooks on computer arithmetic and digital systems. 

The long controversy over who invented the digital computer was resolved when the courts and historians declared that it was John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, bringing important recognition to Iowa State University. Richards’ statement in the book and his association with Berry were considered to be key evidence in the extended 1972 court case involving Honeywell and Sperry-Rand that has had a profound effect on Iowa State University. This litigation ultimately validated the claim that the digital computer was invented at Iowa State. The single quote by Richards was huge, but it is dwarfed by the effect he had on the development of the computer industry in his short engineering career.   

Richards spent a mere seven years as a “working” engineer with IBM. During that time and afterward his work led to 28 U.S. patents. The titles of these patents reflect his contribution to some of the basic fundamentals in the digital systems and computer fields today. More importantly, perhaps, he also wrote five textbooks. His first book, Arithmetic Operations in Digital Computers, was published in 1955 and was the premier book on computer arithmetic—an instant success that was reprinted more than 10 times.

Richards left the engineering profession to pursue a career in farming. He currently farms 1,100 acres. He has three children—Elizabeth, Albert, and Jane—all Iowa State alumni who also have PhDs from other universities.